Ooh, I think I really want a Kit-Cat Clock now :-)

Kit-Cat Clocks have been around since 1932 and are an iconic slice of ‘Americana’.

To celebrate the forthcoming 80th Anniversary, Kit-Cat are releasing a time limited special Rose Float clock, and will be taking part in the 2012 ‘Tournament of Roses’ parade.

A collector’s item, the Rose Float Clock will only be manufactured for one year.

The Rose Float Kit-Cat Clock is 15.5 in. high, 4 in. wide and 2.5 in. deep.

Kit-Cat Clocks can be found in Macy’s Herald Square, the Smithsonian Catalog and in specialty shops, novelty shops and gift shops worldwide.

The Rose Float Kit-Cat Clock will retail at a price of $59.99

Here’s what they have to say about their place in the parade, with some images of the float under construction:

[Press Release] In celebration of the company’s 80th anniversary, Kit-Cat® Clocks will roll down Colorado Boulevard in the 2012 Tournament of Roses® Parade® with an attention-getting entry alive with activity – skateboarders zipping on and off the float, a couple dancing to tunes from a jukebox and eight riders from eight to 80 years old, representing the children, parents, grandparents and great grandparents who have owned and loved a Kit-Cat Clock during the eight decades since the founding of the California Clock Company in 1932.

Aptly named, “Timeless Fun for Everyone,” the 55 ft. long parade entry will be a nostalgic look back at history. Adorning the float will be a 24 ft. high black and white Kit-Cat Clock, with its contagious smile, rolling eyes and swinging tail one of the most recognizable icons in home décor, as well as other flower bedecked images that bring back memories of good times — a chocolate malt from a 40’s soda fountain and a jukebox from the ‘50’s.

“We’re celebrating 80 years since our founding by looking back at how we’ve been part of Americana, continually producing new products that make people smile,” Woody Young, CEO, Kit-Cat Clocks, said. “Everything we do has to be fun.”

Every rider on the float has a story to tell. The skateboarders competed for a chance to be in America’s New Year Celebration®. The stationary riders all sent a personal story of how they came to own a Kit-Cat Clock.

The biggest design challenge for Fiesta Floats was to create a ramp that would allow skateboarders to hop on one side of the float, maneuver up and around a curve or two and then off the float again on the other side, all within the 18 ft. width of the float. The solution was a big S curve, turned on its side.

“We looked at how NASCAR tracks curve and bank,” explains Tim Estes, CEO, Fiesta Floats. “The route across the float had to be exciting for the spectators, but not too dangerous for the skate boarders.”

To handle the task, the athletes will be using a FIZZ board. The FIZZ board has reengineered the 70s banana boards, small, fast, and very agile skateboards that are only about a foot and a half long.

Kit-Cat’s float will also illustrate the company’s California roots. Headquarters for The California Clock Company, home of Kit-Cat Clocks is in Ontario, Calif. The company hires local workers and manufacturers all the parts for its iconic clock line in Southern California. As much as possible, flowers and seeds used to decorate the float will be grown in California, one of the richest agricultural states. Floral icons on the float include several palm trees and birds of paradise plants.